Just days after he was rushed from the rally stage after an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump kicked off the RNC by announcing Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his official vice-presidential pick. Trump, who insisted the shooting on the evening of July 13 would not interfere with the convention schedule, has chosen the former author, venture capitalist, and lawyer to serve as his running mate. If elected, this will be Trump’s final term as president, so Senator Vance could be an expected front-runner for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.

Why Vance?

Senator Vance has enjoyed a rapid ascent in Republican politics, winning his first political race just two years ago. His place alongside Trump on the ticket would have been surprising just a few years ago, as he was a vocal Trump critic during the 2016 race. However, after earning the former president’s endorsement in a crowded Senate primary, Sen. Vance is now in full lockstep with Trump, being a consistent supporter of the MAGA platform since joining the Senate and an active surrogate on behalf of Trump’s reelection campaign. He is expected to be a more willing participant in Trump’s executive platform as the two are ideologically aligned.

Vance’s name recognition and media experience also appeals for Trump’s reelection bid. His 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, earned bestseller status and vaulted him into national prominence; one could argue his story, as chronicled in the book, potentially attracts both working-class voters because of his blue-collar background and highly educated suburban voters because of his Ivy League credentials. His effective communication skills and next-generation profile could also energize voters outside the typical Trump base. With Ohio’s Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown up for reelection, Vance’s place at the top of the ticket may also further drive GOP turnout in one of the most consequential races for congressional control this cycle.  

Early Career and Background

Born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a military journalist in the Iraq War before college. He attended The Ohio State University and completed several congressional internships before attending Yale University Law School.  

While in law school, Vance was persuaded by a professor to write a memoir, and Hillbilly Elegy was published five years later while Vance was working in technology venture capital for Peter Thiel (cofounder of PayPal and early Facebook investor). The book was a national bestseller in 2016 and 2017 and recounted Vance’s upbringing in a lower income home. Vance recounted his reactions to familial drug addiction, welfare, and the shuttering of manufacturing opportunities in the community he grew up in. Seen by many as an insight into the changing voting patterns of lower- and middle-class residents of Appalachia, Hillbilly Elegy skyrocketed Vance’s profile, and he became a CNN contributor in 2017 and founded Cincinnati-based Narya Capital in 2020.  

Vance in the Senate

Running in the purple state of Ohio, Sen. Vance’s conservative platform diverged significantly from his Republican predecessor’s; Sen. Rob Portman helped deliver one of President Biden’s signature legislative victories, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Since winning his Senate race in 2022, Vance’s short political record is distinctive: he has been a leading voice in several “culture war” issues, while simultaneously finding bipartisan solutions in others. On one hand, he maintains President Joe Biden is using the Department of Justice to “go after” Donald Trump, introduced legislation to make English the nation’s official language, and introduced legislation that would prohibit gender affirming care for minors. At the same time, he introduced a measure that would shore up regional banks by enhancing their federal deposit insurance coverage, teamed up with a bipartisan group on a rail safety bill after the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, and joined a bill led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren that would claw back the salaries of rogue financial institution executives.  

Vance has said his priority is “returning a good manufacturing base back to the heartland,” and now runs alongside a former president who rode a blend of social conservatism, populism, and antagonism toward institutions and “elites” to the White House.